Abstract
The article examines the work “Alpamysh” - eight musical tableaux based on the Uzbek folk epic, composed for an orchestra of Uzbek folk instruments by Mustafo Bafoev, a Merited Art Worker of Uzbekistan, State Prize laureate, world-renowned composer, and professor at the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan. The author of the article - Azatgul Tashmatova, a leading specialist in the field of Uzbekistan’s folk instrumental culture, Doctor of Art History, and Professor in the Department of Folk Instrument Performance at the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan - explores the ideological and artistic essence of the work, analyzes the functions and performance techniques of the musical instruments in portraying the main characters, and examines the work’s musical dramaturgy. This article offers a multifaceted analysis of M. Bafoev’s “Alpamysh” - a work comprising eight musical tableaux for an orchestra of Uzbek folk instruments-which represents a unique phenomenon characterized by an innovative and bold approach to its programmatic concept, the modernization of the epic, and orchestral dramaturgy. Of particular interest is the expanded, large-scale orchestration, which incorporates not only Uzbek but also European instruments (such as the flute and clarinets in B-flat) and modern percussion; the use of these instruments creates a striking richness of timbre and a sense of metrorhythmic freedom, manifested in frequent time-signature changes. The article highlights the composer’s innovative approach to instrumentation; the instrumental parts are virtuosic and texturally intricate, imbued with fresh imagery and a modern intonational style. The score of these musical tableaux is polyphonic, abounding in bold combinations of instrumental voices, distinctive tonal color, and rhythmic ingenuity. M. Bafoev’s “Alpamysh” represents a significant new development in contemporary Uzbek music; the article examines the work through the lens of the interplay between eras, the relationship between past and present, the scale of the individual in relation to the cosmos, and the magical symbols of existence. These eight musical tableaux for an Uzbek folk instrument orchestra make an invaluable contribution to the treasury of epic tales of the Turkic peoples. The practical outcome of this research is the creation of a monumental work that advances a key trajectory of the composer’s creative output - one rooted in the artistic imagery and vivid scenes of the immortal “Alpamysh” epic, which here acquires new meaning and significance within the musical landscape of the twenty-first century.